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'No Credible Evidence' That Carrying Concealed Weapons Laws Decrease Crime
Million Mom March (united with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence) ^ | 12/23/2004 | Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort

Posted on 12/28/2004 3:23:29 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

'No Credible Evidence' That Carrying Concealed Weapons Laws Decrease Crime
Press Release
Contact:
Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort
P.O. Box 170393
Milwaukee, WI 53217
Phone: 414-351-9283

'No Credible Evidence' That Carrying Concealed Weapons Laws Decrease Crime According to a New Report From the National Academy of Sciences: Statement by Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort

Gun Lobby Shoots Blanks on False Claims That Wisconsin Families Will Be Safer If Residents Are Allowed to Carry Hidden and Loaded Handguns in Public Places

MILWAUKEE -- A new report released from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), "Firearms and Violence," found "no credible evidence" that carrying concealed weapons laws decrease crime. The gun lobby has long claimed that carrying hidden and loaded handguns on the streets and in public will make families and communities safer, despite overwhelming opposition from Wisconsin law enforcement officials and Wisconsin voters. However, the new National Academy of Sciences report casts doubt on the research underlying the claims that carrying concealed weapons laws reduces crime.

Although the NAS said more data is needed to assess CCW laws, the finding that there is "no credible evidence" that concealed weapons laws reduce crime concurs with similar findings from researchers across the country. The NAS report also found no "increase" in crime as a result of CCW laws, although previously researchers at Stanford and Yale law schools did find marginal increases in crime.

"One would hope this report from the National Academy of Sciences would signal the end of the relentless agenda by the gun lobby to permit carrying concealed weapons in Wisconsin," said Jeri Bonavia, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort. "Many of the most esteemed researchers and professors in this country could find no positive benefit in passing carrying concealed weapons legislation. Common sense would dictate that since Wisconsin has such a low crime rate, and CCW is soundly opposed by law enforcement officials and the public, lawmakers should focus on issues that really matter to families such as strengthening our schools and providing jobs."

The report, which examined a host of gun violence prevention measures including CCW laws, called for a comprehensive national effort to collect accurate data on gun ownership and gun violence incidents in order to evaluate the effectiveness of gun violence prevention measures. The National Academy of Sciences said researchers need accurate data on the number of guns manufactured and distributed, access to crime gun trace data, and more information on patterns of gun ownership and types of weapons owned in order to adequately assess policies to reduce and prevent gun violence. Gun violence prevention organizations have long supported efforts to collect more data to implement a national public health approach to reducing gun violence, but the gun lobby in America has systematically blocked those efforts that could lead to a reduction in crime and gun violence.



TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: bang; banglist; ccw; concealedcarry; crime; junkscience; millionnagsmarch; mmm; nas; pc; pressrelease; wisconsin
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To: Melas

Open carry is legal here in Virginia, by virtue of the fact that there are no laws against it. There are a lot of folks that do.


81 posted on 12/28/2004 5:21:36 PM PST by P8riot (A gun is just a substitute for a penis, so when attacked by a mugger one should pull out a..........)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
The premise of the article is wrong. CCW laws effect the rate of success of the criminals on an individual basis. Crime rates will drop as criminals are killed by gun carriers, or eventually the criminals will just learn their lesson and stop preying on gun carriers.

In a community with a lot of gun owners, criminals will find it much more difficult to successfully perpetrate a crime, especially crimes against people. Rape, mugging, and car-jacking attempts might not go down, there will definitely be fewer VICTIMS of such attempts if the target of the attack can defend him/herself with deadly force.

Somebody should do a study showing the percentage of "successful" crimes against people who carry concealed weapons. I bet it's not very high.

Criminals are opportunists. They are always searching for easy prey. They can choose to rob the guy with the NRA sticker and the gun rack in his truck, or the Yugo driver with a Greenpeace decal. Criminals are in full support of gun laws that prevent their victims from defending themselves.

Macro analysis of crime rates doesn't address the real issue. Are you safer carrying a loaded handgun through a parking garage at night or not? If carrying weapons doesn't protect you from criminal harm, then why does the Secret Service carry weapons?

82 posted on 12/28/2004 5:26:59 PM PST by highimpact (The only way to defeat terrorism is to annihilate the terrorists)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

"However, the new National Academy of Sciences report casts doubt on the research underlying the claims that carrying concealed weapons laws reduces crime"

I don't give a damn what effect it has on the crime rate.It gives me the ability to respond legally with a firearm when my life (or others) is threatened.


83 posted on 12/28/2004 5:50:49 PM PST by Figment (Ich bin ein Jesuslander)
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To: Melas
However, recently home invasions and carjackings have become a real problem in North Texas.

By "North Texas" do you mean the DFW 'monsterplex'?

Things are quiet here in the NorthEast TX Pineywoods... (...except for the 'music' of folks shooting for their TX CCW qual. -- and honing their combat skills...)

84 posted on 12/28/2004 5:55:36 PM PST by TXnMA (Attention, ACLU: There is no constitutionally protected right to NOT be offended -- Shove It!)
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To: TheBattman

I wonder what this group considers to be "credible evidence"?

These people wouldn't know "credible" if it bit them in the rear.
How did these groups get the word MILLION in their name, when only a few hundred ever show up? Credible?


85 posted on 12/28/2004 5:56:27 PM PST by Fireone (Homeland security is 10,000 rounds of ammo and 10 cords of dry firewood.)
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To: italianquaker

"helped bernie goetz not be a victim"

Yes, but in liberal New York, Bernie committed a crime in not being a defenseless victim. He therefore increased the crime rate


86 posted on 12/28/2004 5:57:51 PM PST by Figment (Ich bin ein Jesuslander)
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To: IronJack


Amen bro! Remember all of the dire warnings of Dodge City and platoons of dead cops in the big cities in the states that allowed CCW? It is clear that that has NOT happened and will not be caused by the law abiding who qualify for CCW's.

Now if we can just make these gun grabbing idiots see that the only constitutionally necessary reason for CCW is not the threat of crime, but because I have an inalienable right to keep AND bear arms.


87 posted on 12/28/2004 5:59:21 PM PST by DMZFrank
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To: TXnMA
Texas CCW CHL. (Gotta get the local (TX) terminology right...)
88 posted on 12/28/2004 6:02:39 PM PST by TXnMA (Attention, ACLU: There is no constitutionally protected right to NOT be offended -- Shove It!)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

The Million Mom March is an Islamic and N.O.W. feminist front group for rabid Socialists.

They are the same types that were in all of the anti-war protests, where all of the pictures showed the Islamists and Communists but the National Media was careful not to put any of that film on the air. You know, radical communists and anarchists as the core of the Democratic party isn't good for "business"...

See New and Improved ANTI-DNC Web Portal at --->
http://www.noDNC.com

Radical changes coming after the first of the year.


89 posted on 12/28/2004 6:07:25 PM PST by woodb01 (See the ANTI-DNC Web Portal at ---> http://www.noDNC.com)
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To: Melas

In Texas, wearing a pistol openly on your hip, as you suggest might not mean you're looking for trouble, but it does mean that you're going to be arrested in the next 20 minutes.

Depends on where you're at while wearing it. If you're wandering around in public that way, yes. I've seen more than a few business owners/operators doing it regularly. These are businesses that don't get robbed as a result


90 posted on 12/28/2004 6:09:20 PM PST by Figment (Ich bin ein Jesuslander)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

I believe in science and the scientific method as stated in this article. I will serve as a one man control group for the study if someone out there wants to break into my home at night (or even in the day). Now... guess whether I'm carrying a concealed weapon. OOOOPs. You guessed wrong.
Sorry.
Next experiment.


91 posted on 12/28/2004 6:12:35 PM PST by Shisan ("The law is the true embodiment of everything that's excellent...")
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

False, but also irrelevant. Even if concealed carry actually increased violent crime, it's still protected by the 2nd Amendment.


92 posted on 12/28/2004 6:14:18 PM PST by Sloth (Al Franken is a racist.)
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To: Cobra64

Personally, if I'd been the driver, I'd have shot the car-jacking bastard. Oh well; we all have a differing methodology in crime reduction.

Even with ccw, one needs to be very careful in their judgement in shooting perps. Was told by a local lawyer if there is question of justification in a shooting in this state (TN), you're looking at a $100,000 legal bill


93 posted on 12/28/2004 6:16:02 PM PST by Figment (Ich bin ein Jesuslander)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

If it tweren't fer junk science these days, we wouldn't have any science at all.


94 posted on 12/28/2004 6:18:00 PM PST by F.J. Mitchell (I resolve for 2005, to live my life as I would be if I had kept all my previous resolutions.)
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To: Axenolith

It's worse than that. Lott claims to find specific drops in crime rates that enacted CCW, relative to places that didn't enact CCW. The NAS review calls that claim into question based on Lott's own data. (That said, I still oppose the Million Morons philosophically: Even if violent crime rates provably went up with CCW, I'd still be in favor of it, because I think it's immoral to deny people the right or even privilege of being able to defend themselves from criminal attack.)


95 posted on 12/28/2004 6:20:12 PM PST by coloradan (Hence, etc.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
sure... anything to evade talking about the BLOODBATH they promised if people had a CCW and NEVER came.

they said there'd be a bloodbath, they Promised us BloodBath, I want my BLOODBATH AND I WANT IT NOW!!!

96 posted on 12/28/2004 6:20:29 PM PST by Chode (American Hedonist ©® - Dubya... F**K YEAH!!!)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Quote:
"If you're injured, paralyzed or whatever while committing a violent crime against me, that's not my fault."

Bernard Goetz - 1984


97 posted on 12/28/2004 6:27:51 PM PST by TheForceOfOne
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

How would they know? No one, legally carrying, is going to report a crime that didn't happen because they were able to stop it with the threat of their gun. Most of us would be worried about some obscure rule we may have violated. If I scared off a thief or a mugger with my pistol, I wouldn't be eager to report it.


98 posted on 12/28/2004 6:28:09 PM PST by muir_redwoods
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Note to MOM: Can you say Switzerland?


99 posted on 12/28/2004 6:30:49 PM PST by DennisR (Look around - there are countless observable hints that God exists)
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To: Melas
Well, the law is taken seriously here.

Yes, there are excuses (ways that the homeowner can claim to avoid having a weapon in the house such as usury and conscious); and yes, it is not enforced, but the law is taken seriously in these parts.
100 posted on 12/28/2004 6:37:29 PM PST by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but Kerry's ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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